The next day.
Ye Caiping endured the soreness and got up. Then, she and Shen Zhiyan went to the main hall to serve tea.
"Mother, have some tea." The couple knelt before Madam Shen and picked up their teacups.
"Good, good." Looking at the handsome couple, Madam Shen was so happy that her whole face glowed.
Then they gave him a thick red envelope and a set of sapphire jewelry.
Ye Caiping then paid her respects to the Marquis of Dingguo and his wife, who presented her with a pair of jade bracelets.
Then the younger generation would salute.
Ye Jin'er, Ye Huan'er, and Shen Manman knelt before Ye Caiping: "Father, Mother, have some tea."
Ye Caiping and Shen Zhiyan drank the tea with smiles and gave each of the sisters a ruby hairpin.
Ye Jin'er and Ye Huan'er kowtowed to Old Madam Shen and the Lady of Dingguo Marquis again.
Madam Shen smiled and said, "These two girls have changed their surnames, shouldn't their given names be changed too?"
Ye Caiping looked at Jin'er and Huan'er: "Do you want to change your names?"
Ye Jin'er nodded: "Yes, either way is fine."
Ye Caiping looked at Shen Zhiyan: "Didn't you say you had made up your mind?"
Shen Zhiyan looked at Ye Jin'er and her sister and said, "Jin'er will be called Shen Tangjin from now on, and Huan'er will be called Shen Qinghuan."
Ye Jin'er and her sister said, "Thank you, Father. We like it very much."
Ye Caiping smiled and said, "That's good. We can continue to call them Jin'er and Huan'er from now on."
These two names sound like they belong to a well-bred lady; she's definitely a cultured person who knows how to name people.
Shen Manman asked, "Why not name them Tang Jin and Tang Huan?"
Shen Zhiyan: "Because your name is Manman."
Shen Manman: "Oh, I understand."
If the Ye sisters were named Tang Jin and Tang Huan, and I were named Manman, it would sound strange. So the three sisters decided to have different names for each other.
Shen Manman then asked, "Then why not name them Jinjin and Huanhuan?"
"Because Jin'er is more dignified, Tang Jin suits her better."
Shen Manman put her hands on her hips and said angrily, "Do you mean I'm not dignified?"
Shen Zhiyan chuckled and gently flicked her forehead.
Shen Manman let out a painful cry, which caused Old Madam Shen and the others to burst into laughter.
Shen Zhiyan said, "Mother, elder brother, Caiping and I will go to the palace first to pay our respects to our elder sister."
"Alright, you guys go ahead. Manman and Jin'er, come along too."
Ye Caiping and Shen Zhiyan exchanged a smile, got up and left, chatting as they walked:
When did you come up with names for them?
"Around June or July last year."
"June or July...you...you're thinking about this quite early." He's already making moves on her so early.
“That’s right.” He chuckled.
Ye Caiping felt a sweet warmth in her heart.
Jin'er, Huan'er, and Manman followed behind, chattering away.
After Ye Caiping and her family of five left.
Marquis Dingguo said with a stern face, "Yesterday, when my brother Yan got married, a funeral procession tried to come and cause trouble. Fortunately, our people were guarding the area, and they were stopped by Duanwu."
Madam Shen said with a stern face, "Hmph, outrageous! No need to say more, it must be her."
The Marquis of Dingguo sneered, "Who else could it be but her? Before, she kept quiet, secretly making small moves, and we let it slide because of Chief Minister Lin. But now..."
"Boss, go to the Lin family."
"Okay, I'll go right now!"
Marquis Dingguo immediately led his men to the Lin family.
While Chief Minister Lin was busy with state affairs in the palace, only Lin Yaxian and Madam Lin were at home.
Lin Yaxian's eyes were almost swollen from crying, and she had lost a lot of weight during this time.
She didn't sleep well at all last night. The thought of them consummating their marriage made her feel like she was going crazy with hatred.
Lin Yaxian sobbed softly, and Old Madam Lin was comforting her.
A maidservant walked in: "Madam, Second Aunt, the Marquis of Dingguo requests an audience."
Upon hearing that it was a member of the Shen family, Lin Yaxian's expression turned ugly.
Madam Lin frowned: "Why is he coming at this time? Doesn't he know that our master is busy with state affairs in the palace? Does he think everyone is as idle as him? And he didn't even send an invitation beforehand. What kind of nonsense is this, showing up like this all of a sudden?"
On the occasion of Shen Zhiyan's wedding, the Empress Dowager specially granted the Marquis of Dingguo three days' leave.
Old Madam Lin said irritably, "Tell him that the old master hasn't returned yet, and he can come back this afternoon!"
"yes."
The maid turned and left, but soon after, a series of exclamations rang out from outside: "The Marquis of Dingguo... the old master is not at home... only the old lady and the second aunt are inside."
"Get out of my way!" Marquis Dingguo shoved aside the maid who was blocking his path and strode in with five or six guards.
Upon seeing him, Lin Yaxian's expression changed slightly.
Madam Lin was taken aback: "The Marquis of Dingguo... has come to visit me?"
"Hmph, who's visiting you! I'm here to settle scores!" With that, the Marquis of Dingguo stared coldly at Lin Yaxian, exuding a murderous aura honed from his battlefield experience: "Lin Yaxian, you're truly something!"
Lin Yaxian's face turned ashen: "I...I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Hahaha, keep denying it! I've already arrested those people. Getting them to confess is just a matter of a few lashes."
Madam Lin frowned: "Marquis Dingguo... could you please tell us what happened first?"
"Hmph! Yesterday was Brother Yan's wedding. We had already scouted out the surrounding area and planned the wedding route. But then, a funeral procession suddenly appeared. The seven-day mourning period hasn't even ended yet, and they're already holding the funeral."
“I know exactly what kind of evil schemes you're plotting. You just can't bite anyone, so you try to annoy them by causing a coffin to collide with a bridal sedan chair! Vicious! Utterly vicious! How could you be such a poisonous woman?!”
Madam Lin's eyes widened: "What did you say... there must be some misunderstanding."
"Don't mislead me! I've already arrested the people who carried out the funeral. They'll be sent in soon. Once they confess, we'll see how the higher-ups judge them! Even if Brother Yan isn't an official now, my sister-in-law is a third-rank noblewoman."
"How dare you disrupt the wedding of our Marquis of Dingguo and a third-rank noblewoman! How audacious!"
Lin Yaxian gripped her sleeve tightly.
Madam Lin gave Lin Yaxian a look of exasperation. She was really just looking for trouble!
He gritted his teeth and said, "Xian'er would never do such a thing... It must be a coincidence, and... it's just a small matter. There was no real conflict. Your dignified Dingguo Marquis's mansion... do you not even have this much tolerance?"
"Pah! Don't flatter us! What, just because we're tolerant, you're all jumping around like that?"
"I'm not here to warn you today, I'm here to settle scores and cause trouble! Men, smash this!"
The guards who came with him immediately began to smash and destroy things.
"Ahhh—stop it! Shen Zhiqiong, this is the Prime Minister's residence!" Old Madam Lin and her daughter jumped up in fright, so angry that they almost had a heart attack.
The Marquis of Dingguo ignored her and continued to vandalize the place.
With a crash, a vase was thrown to the ground, and the armchair, coffee table... were overturned one by one. Finally, the long couch where Old Madam Lin was sitting was also overturned.
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